1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to inkjet printing systems and more particularly to an apparatus and method for disposing an inkjet cartridge in a mount used in such systems.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
High-speed printing systems typically include one or more imaging units. Each imaging unit has one or more inkjet cartridges (or printheads). A controller controls each inkjet cartridge to eject a fluid such as ink or other composition) onto a receiving surface. Some printing systems use an imaging unit with a moving inkjet cartridge (or an array of inkjet cartridges) that traverses the width of the receiving surface as nozzles of the inkjet cartridge drop one or more lines of fluid to form a swath of an image along the width of the receiving surface. Upon completion of the swath, the receiving surface is advanced in accordance with the width of the swath and the inkjet cartridge again traverses the width of the receiving surface to print a next swath of the image.
Other printing systems use an imaging unit with a fixed inkjet cartridge (or an array of inkjet cartridges) in which the receiving surface is moved under the inkjet cartridge and nozzles of the inkjet cartridge eject drops of fluid onto the receiving surface in accordance with the position of the receiving surface to print an image. Inkjet cartridges are interfaced with a controller that controls the formation and ejection of drops from the inkjet cartridge when such drops are needed. In addition, inkjet cartridges may be connected using fluid conduits to ink supplies that provide ink and/or other fluids to the inkjet cartridge to replenish any ink ejected and/or otherwise removed (e.g., by evaporation) therefrom.
In a printing system, an inkjet cartridge is disposed in a carrier such that the nozzles of the inkjet cartridge are directed toward the receiving surface. The carrier may be manufactured from steel or other alloys that can be milled to a high precision. More than one inkjet cartridge may be disposed in a carrier in this fashion in a one or two-dimensional array.
In some print systems, a mount is secured to a carrier and the inkjet cartridge is disposed in the mount. In some cases the inkjet cartridge may be removed from the mount, for example, for maintenance or replacement, without removing the mount from the carrier. In addition, some mounts may include adjustment mechanisms that allow adjustment of the position of the inkjet cartridge with respect to the mount and the carrier without removing the inkjet cartridge from the mount or the mount from the carrier.